Toddlers In Protective Custody In Two Abandoned Child Cases

Two young boys left home alone by their mothers in unrelated cases were both placed in protective custody early Friday morning.

At around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, Las Cruces Police were dispatched to 2200 Holiday Ave. where neighbors found a 2-year-old boy alone in the street. Detectives learned that the boy’s 31-year-old mother left the child home alone for around two hours.

The 2-year-old boy did not have any visible signs of physical injuries but was placed into protective custody with the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department.

Approximately two hours later police were called to the 1000 block of Kennedy Road where neighbors heard a young boy outside his home, screaming for his mother. Officers found a 4-year-old boy who had been left home alone by his 25-year-old mother.

Around two hours after police arrived on Kennedy Road, the 4-year-old’s mother arrived home but her son had already been taken into custody by CYFD. The 4-year-old did not appear to have any physical injuries.

Las Cruces Police detectives are continuing their separate investigations. Charges against both mothers are pending at this time.